2026 Klondike Derby

A Fun and Chilly Annual Event

Each year our District hosts their annual Klondike Derby at Camp Warren Levis in Godfrey. While we don’t have a perfect attendance record, we try to participate in the event each year.

For the past several years, we’ve only attended this as a day-event. During those years, weather, availability, and other factors made it difficult for us to camp overnight. Fortunately, for the 2026 Klondike Derby, we were able to participate AND camp overnight during the event.

A Unique Event

Most of our weekend camping events are our own events. That is…we do all the planning and preparation, and the event is only attended by Scouts and leaders in our troop. While we have a list destinations we regularly visit, we also attempt to try some new places now and then.

While each location is unique, the general flow of activities is similar. We camp Friday and Saturday nights, with most of the scheduled activities occurring on Saturday. Our youth leaders plan all the event’s activities, which are (as expected) influenced by the amenities and offerings of each location.

The Klondike Derby is different in several ways…

First, it is run by our District. This limits the amount of planning we need to do, especially with regard to “what” the Scouts will do during the event, since those needs are handled by the event’s volunteers. We just need to get there with our equipment and food (as needed), and show up when/where we’re instructed based on the events planned activities.

The other big difference is that this is a competitive event. Like most district/council events, there are a variety of activities for the Scouts. However, at this event, there is a competitive spin to those activities. The event includes various “cities” scattered around the camp, each with a different theme/challenge. During the day on Saturday, the Scouts pull their sled to the various cities, trying to complete each challenge and earn as many points as they can. Additionally, the event has specific starting and ending times. As a result, the Scouts need to have a strategy regarding the order in which they will visit the cities, as well as deciding on who will participate in each city’s challenge. At most cities they all work together, but at some (such as the shooting sports cities), they need to choose the Scouts that are likely to earn them the most points. In the end, each sled’s points are totaled to see who earned the most.

A Strong Showing for 2026

Not only were our Scouts excited about going this year, they also did a great job preparing for the event!

Getting Ready

The preparations started at our troop meetings. As a group, they reviewed the information packet sent to the participating troops, starting with a review of what the event is and how it works. (For some of our Scouts, this was their first Klondike Derby event.)

They reviewed the personal packing list to make sure everyone knew what to bring. (This was especially important given the predicted cold temperatures.) This was followed by a detailed shakedown of the crew equipment to make sure they had everything. We try to keep the Klondike gear together in a few storage containers, but it’s always good to go through it, as we occasionally have to “borrow” items from those containers throughout the year for our other trips.

This all happened during several troop meetings before the event.

Strategy

During check-in, the organizers tell each crew which city they need to visit first. (This helps to disperse the groups across camp, reducing congestion.) However, after that, the crews are free to visit whatever cities they want, in whatever order they way. As a result, having a good strategy is key to success.

Depending on the group, our Scouts typically approach this event with a “we’ll figure it out as we go” attitude, which in fairness, works out pretty well.

This year, however, they were in full planning mode! During their (delicious) breakfast of french toast and fruit, they were busy planning the order that they would visit the cities, taking into account each city’s location, the distance between then, and how well they thought they would do at each one. By the time it started, they were definitely ready for the challenge!

The Payoff

All that preparation and planning clearly paid off.

First, everyone was prepared for the event. While this doesn’t sound important, it’s a BIG DEAL at Klondike. The event is in January, which means it’s usually cold, and this year was no exception. Over the night on Friday, the temps dipped into the 20’s (or lower) and never warmed up all day on Saturday. Ensuring the Scouts have the gear they need to stay warm and hydrated is important, and they all did a great job of making sure they had what was needed.

Secondly, the planning they did on how to attack the event paid off as well. At the end of the day, they finished in 3rd place, with all of the top scores being very close to one another. They absolutely did a great job, and they were very excited with their results!

Scout-Led At It’s Best

We always do our best to ensure our troop is led by our youth leaders…the Scouts in the troop. Yes, the adult leaders are there to help out and to take care of things that need to be done by an adult. However, we push as much responsibility down to the Scouts as possible.

This event was all them. They did the preparation work, both at the troop meetings and before the event Saturday morning. During the event, the Scouts aren’t allowed to talk to any of their adult leaders, in order to keep things fair. They traversed the campground all day on Saturday, all on their own. And in the end, they showed that they were more than up for the challenge.

Congrats To Our Scouts!

This event gave our Scouts the opportunity to use many of the skills they learn each year in the troop as they visited each city. But more than anything, they demonstrated their ability to be leaders and that they could work together to achieve a goal. Great job, guys!!